


Mike Wheeler is a cute boy

by hawrthiacoopri



Series: Transboy Mike [1]
Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Coming Out, F/M, I guess???, No Hetero, Trans Male Character, el is supportive and i love her, im sorry i just feel passionately about trans Mike, im sorry i know this is the second work of the night, mike is emotional and i love him
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-23
Updated: 2016-10-23
Packaged: 2018-08-24 03:46:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 818
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8355775
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hawrthiacoopri/pseuds/hawrthiacoopri
Summary: It's been a few years since El came back from the upside down, and she feels completely elated to have her own (current) situation. Mike Wheeler, however, would rather be anyone else.





	

**Author's Note:**

> This is set around 2 years after the events in the show (so they're what, 14) and Mike starts needing to bind for reasons. I'm sorry if this is insensitive, I can change anything if needed. I just love transboy Mike and keysmashing at 11:03 pm

  
Mike had been acting weird lately. Not regular weird, either. Like... stranger than normal. Usually, Mike was very mobile and happy to move around. He loved to chase his friends around the basement, or run after Will's dog, but lately... lately he hadn't been moving around much at all. He seemed to be in pain wherever he ran too long or too fast.

And it had El worried; Mike hadn't ever done this before. Even when he was sick, he'd still be able to go to gym class if he took an ibuprofen. But now, he barely ever came to gym and when he did, he tried even less than normal.

•

They were just hanging out after school one day, doing homework, when he started to cough.

El grabbed his book, and was reading it out loud in funny voices to try to get Mike to relax. And it worked- kind of. He did laugh, at least. "The room was empty and unsettling in it's emptiness. Mo felt as if she were not alone, as if she was being watched." El read the passage from his book, making sure to use the creepy voice that Mike did when he told cheesy horror stories. She set the book down. "Why would it be unsettling in just it's emptiness? Why not the fact that cats in jars are looking at her?"

Mike laughed at her perplexity, setting down his pencil and banging on his chest.

"Hey, slow down, Mike," El got up quickly, putting her hand on his back and rubbing it a little. She raised her eyebrows. That's strange... it felt like his chest was wrapped in something.   
"What's wrong?"

"What do you mean?" Mike tried to look casual.

"You cough a lot, Mike... why is that?"

Mike looked away, bouncing a little in his seat and looking away. "Can we... talk about something else, please?"

El put her hand on her hip. "No. Tell me what's wrong." Mike looked up at her nervously. "Mike... friends don't lie."

Mike moved to the couch, letting out a shaky breath. "Ok. Well... I don't want you to feel weird. Or think I'm weird."

Eleven smiled. "I'm not going to think you're weird. You're just as normal as me." She hoped Mike would get the irony.

He smiled. "Yeah. Ok, well... um. I'm not... exactly like Dustin or Lucas or the rest. I-" he looked like he was about to cry. "I haven't always been a boy. Or, I have, it's just... I don't know how to explain it. I guess... the best way to tell it is that people used to think I was a girl. But I'm not. I'm a boy. I just," he swallowed quietly, trying to stay together, "My parents didn't know that I was a boy, so they put me in dresses and skirts and stuff like that. But I didn't like it, so eventually they figured it out. But now-" Mike shook a little under El's hand, sniffing and closing his eyes. "I've started getting... lots of stuff that I don't like. Which is why I can breathe very well."

El looked at him quizzically. "You can't breathe well... because you're a boy?" That was one thing they hadn't learned about in health class.

"Eh... no. Not exactly. You know how in class they put all of the girls in one room and the boys in another?" El nodded. "Well, the stuff that the girls learned about is what's happening right now. To me. And I can't stop it, but I can try to make it not show up. So I bought some bandages and I wrapped them around my chest." Mike took El's hand and put it on his chest, where she felt more of the fabric from his back. "And even though they work, they also make it hard to breathe deeply." Mike tried to compose himself. "I just. I want to look like a normal boy. I- I'm sorry. I just don't want you to think I'm weird or a girl so I didn't tell you. I know I should have, I just-"

Mike was cut off by El catching him up in a huge hug. "I don't think you're a girl," she whispered. "You're a boy. And you're always going to be a boy if that's what you want." Mike smiled. "You know what else? I think you're wonderful. You're so kind and gentle and I think you're so great. You're so brave to tell me, Mike, you don't even know, and-" she stopped herself, seeing that Mike was crying a little. She clammed up quickly. 

Mike wiped his nose, smiling gratefully when El released him. "I'm sorry."

El punched his arm super-lightly, giggling and sitting down. "Hey! You're not allowed to be sorry. Cute boys aren't allowed to apologize for feelings." And Mike Wheeler, El thought, was definitely a cute boy.

**Author's Note:**

> idk man, being trans was. tough in the '80s
> 
> you can find me at @hawrthiacoopri on tumblr


End file.
